Journal box and lid therefor



Aug. 9, 1938. N. E. FLODlN ET AL JOURNAL BOX AND LID THEREFOR FiledSept. 1, v 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l BY Thezore R. WeZ e! v A RNEY Aug.9,1938. N E L D N ET AL 2,126,546

' JOURNAL BOX AND LID THEREFOR Filed Sept. 1, 1936 2 sheets-sheet 2 42v43 FIGJO \I "l J INVENTORS Nels E. F laa/m Theo dore R W636! I 6% ATTNEY Patented Aug. 9, 1938 JOURNAL BOX AND LID THEREFOR Nels E. Flodinand Theodore R. Weber, Latrobe,

Pa., assignors to American Locomotive Comany, New York, N. Y., acorporation of New ork I Application September 1, 1936, Serial No.98,873

"3 Claims. (or. 308-47) This invention relates to journal boxes and lidstherefor for railway vehicles, and particularly to a spring-actuatedlid.

The principal object of this invention is to proclosed, seats upon themargins B of the box to completely close the opening 2. It is shapedfrom a stamping, and in the main is quite similar to the cover of thesaid Mohun patent, and similarly comprises a body portion it, side andbotvide a spring-actuated journal box lid compristom flanges l5for.overlapping the side and bot- 5 ing various novel features inawell-known type tom margins l3 respectively of the box, a pair of lid.of eyes it mounted on the pintle 3, one at each The invention isillustrated in the accompanyside of the lug t, and a top flange llextending ing drawings'in which Fig. l is a front view of a from the topedge of the body portion it upconventional type of box and the lid ofthe preswardly and inwardly to the eyes it to which it is 10 entinvention, a part thereof being broken away; integrally connected at theseams thereof.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line II-II of Fig. l, but In the Mohunconstruction the connections of showing the spring in full in sideelevation, and the outer ends of the eyes with the adjacent pora portionof the box, the spring energizing and tions of the top flangeoccasionally develop weak retaining member or hood being closed and thespots. Occasionally these connections start to 115 spring energized asin Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section crack at these points under severeservice contaken on the line III-III of Fig. 1, showing a ditions, andthe connections thus weakened conporticn of the box, the member or hoodbeing tinue to crack until at times an eye is entirely open and thespring deenergized; Fig. 4 is a fragsevered from the body portion.

2O mental section on the line IVIV of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 In the cover ofthepresent invention the above is a fragmental section on the. line V-Vof Fig. defect is overcome by doing away with the 2; Fig. 6 is afragmental side view of the cover; tongues of the Mohun cover andcontinuing each Fig. '7 ista View similar to Fig. 6 but showing the sideflange it upwardly to its adjacent eye, formpintle eye rolled in theopposite direction from ing thereby an upwardly directed extension it 23that of Fig. 6; Fig. 8 shows fragmentally the on each of the sideflanges i above the y stamped sheet from which the portion shown inportion it integrally connected at its outer edge Fig. 6 is formed; Fig.9 shows fragmentally the with the adjacent end of the top flange ii andstamped sheet from which the portion shown in with apart of the outerend of the adjacent eye Fig.7 is formed{ and Fig. 10 is an enlarged viewit. This provides an integral union of said body similar to Fig. 2, withcertain parts not shown. portion, eye, side flange and top flangewhereby 30 Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein a the jointbetween said body portion and eye preferred embodiment of the inventionis shown, is materially reinforced. the journal box I is shown.fragmentally, that Fig. 6 shows the eye it rolled clockwise, as being.deemed all that is necessary for a full viewed therein, providing aseam l9 concealed understanding of the present invention. It is from thefront, which in usual practice is sealed 5 the conventional A. A. R.type and is provided by welding, thereby strengthening the jointuresatits front face with the usual opening 2. A between the connectingflange Ill and eyes. In member, preferably in the form of a lug 3, iscar- Fig. 7 the eye is rolled in the opposite direction, ried by the boxbeyond the upper side of the providing an exposed seam and a slightlydifferopening 2 and centrally thereof. The lug is proent style of unionbetween the eyes and cover. 40

vided at its front with a cam face 4 which is Instead of the straighttongues of the Mohun directed to make a definite angle with the face 5construction which are for holding the pintle' of the box. The lug isfurther provided at its against displacement, curved tabs or tonguestil, top with a cam face 6 and with an orifice I in of a well-knownconstruction, are employed.

which a hinge pintle 8 is mounted with its oppo- There is a tongue tilat the outer end of each eye, 45 site end portions 9 and It extendingfrom the and the tongue is formed by cutting or stamping opposite sidesof the lug. out a portion of the end of its respective eye in The lid ofthe present invention, indicated a manner to leave its rear edgeintegrally congenerally by the reference numeral ll, resembles nectedwith the eye, and the remainder of the in many' respects the lid shownin patent to John tongue free from the eye in order that it may be 50 L.Mohun, No. 1,922,597, but the present lid is an rolled or bent into thepath of the pintle ii for improvement over the Mohun lid in variousparholding the pintle in place, and re-bent out of ticulars, as willlater more fully appear. the path of the pintle when it is desired toremove The lid comprises a cover l2, which, when the pintle, in whichcase only one tongue need be re-bent.

edge of the tongue opposite the outer end of the the spring means beingenergized during closing seam, and well spaced therefrom, therebypreserving ample metal in the eye adjacent the end of the seam in orderthat the seam will extend to the extreme outer end of the eye tofacilitate the formation of the integral union of the extensions l3 withthe eyes, as aforementioned, and in order to give maximum strength tothe jointure between the eye and top flange H. The

manner of cutting or stamping the tongue from I the eyes of Figs. 6 and?is best shown in Figs. 8

and 9 respectively, which show fragmental portions of the flat sheet.The portion of the metal which is left intact, and whichin the formedeye will be adjacent the seam, is indicated in each instance by thenumerals 2| and 22 respectively. The eyes are slightly elongated, asshown, frontwardly and rearwardly in the usual manner, to facilitateseating of the cover upon the box but their minor axes are substantiallyequal to the diameter of the pintle to makea working i'lt therewith.

A member 23 providing a hood, in this latter respect similar to the hoodof the Mohun patent, and whose function, as will later be more fullydescribed, is principally for energizing and deenergizing the springmeans of the lid, for retaining the spring means in energized positionand for pressing the cover upon the box, is disposed at the front of thecover. It comprises side walls 24, each having at its upper portion aneye 23 mounted upon the pintle 3 between the side of the lug 3 and theinner end of the eyev l 3 adjacent thereto, thereby providing anarticulation whereby the member and cover may be swung as a unit aboutthe axis of the pintle to cover-open and cover-closed positions in theusual manner, and whereby the member may have swinging movement fromopen, spring means deenergized position toward the cover to closed,spring means energized position, at which position the mem-' ber holdsthe spring means in energized position and presses the cover upon thebox, as will later be described, and whereby the member may be swungopen to spring means deenergized position,

movement and deenergized during opening movement in a manner, generallyspeaking, somewhat similar to the operation of the Mohun lid;

Spring means 23, in the main similar to the spring means of the Mohunpatent, functioning to effect a holding of the cover l2 in both closedand open positions, is disposed between the member 23 and the cover. Itcomprises two coils 21 and 23, disposed each in a depression 23 formedin the cover-and secured therein, somewhat above the center of thecover, byv securing means 33, which, in the present instance, isformed'of a plate bent, at its free end portions, to conform to thecurvature of .the coils, and secured to the cover by-rivets 3|.

Each of the coils, at one end' thereof, has an upwardly extendingintegral branch 32 connected at their upper ends by a central portion 33upon which is mormted an anti-friction roller 34 which engages the camface 4 when'the cover is closed and the camfacei whenthecoverisopeminthe member 23.

end thereof, has an upwardly extending integral branch 35, the upper endof which is free, this free end of the branch having an end portion 33-bent in a direction upwardly away from the coil and outwardly from thebranch 32 adjacent thereto. The end of the end portion is bentinwardly,providing a rounded surface 31 which engages the inner face of the frontwall" of This wall, opposite each of the end portions 33, is providedwith an angular portion 39 which comprises a relatively long side 43,preferably somewhat curved, as shown. This side extends from its end,which initially engages the rounded surface 31 when the spring means isin open deenergized position and the member is likewise in open springmeans deenergized position, substantially as shown in Fig. 3, in adirection, when the member is in closed position, upwardly away fromtherespecenhanced and the spring means becomes overenergized when therounded surface 31 arrivesat the vertex 4| of the angular portion '33.At this point of energization the crest 42 of the rounded surface 31 isin engagement with the vertex 4| and the member 23 is near its closedspring means energized position.

The circular are 43 struck about the center or axis of the pintle 3 andtangent to the vertex H (the vertex being somewhat rounded), as viewedin Fig; 10, indicates approximately the line at a point of which thecrest 42 will be located when it engages the vertex 4|, and from whichcan be seen the amount of overenergization there will be, which ismeasured approximately by the distance between the arc and the crest 42,as shown in its final position.

The angular portion 33 further comprises the relatively short side 44which extends from the vertex in a general direction away from therespective coil and abruptly away from the plane of the cover, therebyproviding an abutment, or a lock so to speak, for the spring meansbranch 33. During the finalswinging movement of the member 23 to closedposition the crest 42 leaves the vertex 4|, and in fact seversengagement entirely with the member 23, and another part of the endportion 33 comes into engagement with the side or abutment 44 near thevertex. During this final closing swinging movement of the member acomparatively small portion of the side 44, that portion between the are43 and concentricarc 43, is traversed by the bent end por- -tion 33 ofthe spring means, the are 43 being struck from the center or axis of thepintle as a center throughthe' final point a of engagemmt between themember and thebranch 33, while a comparatively large portion of the bentend portion 33 of the spring means traverses the member during thisfinal closing period. During 1 thecrestwiththevertenfurthermovementofthe member toward closed position is practically automatic, therecoiling action of the spring means operating to bring the member tofinal closed position quickly with considerable force. The spring meansis thus held by the abutment of the member 23 in so-called lockedenergized position, and the member is held closed by the force of thespring means branch against the abutment and forced about its pintleaxis downwardly against the cover to hold the cover, when closed, inspring-pressed engagement against the box, the pressure of the memberupon the cover being at its lower edge, the side walls 24 being cut awayat their edges adjacent the cover to a slight extent, providingclearance spaces between these edges and the cover, as shown in Fig. 2.This overenergizing and partial deenergizing of the spring means toprovide for the desired functioning, as aforesaid, of the abutment isnovel in connection with journal box lids as far as is known, but theeffectiveness of the abutment thus provided depends in largemeasure uponthe angle that the side Mi at the locality of the point a makes with thecam face t which is indicated approximately by the angle m (Fig. 10)between the line b which passes through the point a tangent to thesurface thereat and the line drawn through the cam face 4.

angular portion 39.

While in the preferred embodiment the branches 35 are shown with thebent portions 36, it will be noted that instead thereof the branches 35may be turned toward each other similar to the branches 32 and a rollersimilar to the roller 34 mounted on these end portions for engagementwith the member, this roller finally engaging the member at the pointsa; or each branch35 may be formed at its end into a sharp hook that willengage the member, the hook finally seating at the point a. These twopossible modifications present objections however as they do not providefor tolerance due to inaccuracies in manufacture as does the bentportions 36 of the branches 35 which are made of sufficient length totake care of all tolerance. Furthermore a sharp hook, as abovesuggested, does not lend itself for a satisfactory operation of themember.

To-cheapen the cost of manufacture, the cover is stamped and pressedinto shape and the eyes thereof formed by rolling portions of thestamping. Likewise the member 23 is stamped and pressed into shape andits eyes are formed by stamping orifices therein. These methods ofmanufacture do not insure mathematical accuracy in duplication of theparts. This also is true of the spring means due to the method offorming it desirable for reduction in cost of manufacture. The result isthat the points of engagement between the various parts may not beprecisely the same in each lid. Principally the location of the point aon the member 23 may vary as well as the location of the vertex of theLikewise there may be a variation in the location of the crest 42 andalso the point of. the branch 35 which contacts with the point a of themember. It isespecially desirable that the construction be designed topro-. vide for a tolerance between the point of contact of the branch 35with the member so that they will properlyfunction. This is amply takencare of in the present design by providing the substantially straightbent portion of the branch 35 that is made of sufficient length to takecare of all such possible inaccuracies in manufacture.

Likewise the present method followed in the manufacture of the member 23results in forming the vertex, or more accurately the vertex and thesurface in the immediate locality thereof, blunt or rounded, as has beendescribed, which admirably lends itself to the suitable functioning ofthe member and spring means, as has been described, wherein the branch35 is finally seated slightly above the vertex and the angular portionabove the point a serves as an abutment or so-called locking means forthe branch 35.

The present invention however, is not limited to this specificconstruction which, as aforedescribed, is chiefly brought about onaccount of pursuing a method of manufacture that will cheapen the costthereof.

The same desirable ends sought will be accom pished if the vertex of theangle is made sharp instead of rounded, in which case the bent endportion of the branch 35 will ride upon this sharp vertex edge andfinally come to rest in seated position thereon, or the surface justabove the sharp vertex edge may be flat and of the same angularity asthe straight bent portion of the branch 35 when the parts are in normaloperable position, in which case the straight bent portion will restupon the flat surface. In this case the retention of the spring means inits final energized position and the action thereof to exert a forceupon the member 23 tending to turn it downwardly about its pintle axisand to effect a pressing thereby upon the cover resulting in holding thecover in spring-pressed engagement, when closed, upon the box would bedue to the engagement of the sharp vertex edge (or flat surface) by thebent portion of the branch 35, and would in largemeasure, if notentirely, depend upon theangularity of the substantially straight partof the bent portion of the branch 35 with the face of the lug of thebox. If this straight portion were inclined as shown in Fig. then theangularity would be represented by the angle a: formed by the lines band 0.

Therefore when the bent portion 36 of the branch 35 is employed, it isimmaterial Whether the vertex of the angular portion 39 of the member 23is shag or rounded, for in either case the parts will function toproduce the same results. ,The spring means can appropriately beconsidered as two springs acting similarly and united to act coniointlyupon the cam faces. It is of the foldable, hair-pin like type orsomewhat V-shaped when viewed from the side. This type of springdesigned as shown, with its branches 32 and 35 .of substantially thesame length, has little or no power to press at its coil portions uponthe cover, and it is not relied upon in the present instance to exertany pressure at the coil portions upon the cover.

There is a decided point of difference between the instant spring meansand that of the Mohun tion of the cover is more apt to loosely seat thanis the lower portion.

There is also a further and marked difference between the presentconstruction and that of the Mohun patent. In the instant case the linesb and c forming the angle z diverge upwardly, and the points of contacton the member 23 and cam face 4 against'which the branches 3! and 32 arerespectively held in spring-pressed engagement, react on the energizedspring means tending to force it upwardly, that is to say there is atendency ofthe upper portions of the spring means branches to move intothe wider spaces above. Such movement is checked by the securing means30 holding the spring means to the cover, a result being that the springmeans exerts an upward pull on the cover, forcing the bottoms of theeyes it of the cover against the lower face of the pintie. This ishighly desirable not only because it relieves the pintie from the weightof the cover and attached spring means, but also relieves the flangeconnection between the eyes and the cover from this weight andaccordingly minimizes the danger of rupture at this locality due largelyto this weight under the harsh service conditions that Journal boxcovers are subjected to. Another result is that the branches 3! effect aturning action of the member 23 about the axis of the pintie in adownward direction toward and against the cover, thereby more firmlyholding the member 23 closed and the cover closed upon the box. I

To enable the securing means 30 to better with stand the upward pull ofthe spring means and the force of the weight of the cover downwardly,

. the securing means is provided, at each of its lateral free endportions, with a curved projection or lug It that extends for asubstantial distance around the lower portion of the inner periphery ofthe adiacent spring coil which serves as an abutment 'against which theupward pull of the spring means and the downward pull of the cover acts.

i addition to the features already described which have an additiveresult in holding the member in closed position and the coverspringpressed upon the box, another feature is present which furtheradds to the force exerted to hold the member closed upon the cover andthe cover upon the box. This feature resembles somewhat the lever actionmade use of in the beforementioned Mohun construction and is dependentupon the relative locations of the axis ofthe pintle,

the point of contact between the member 23 and the branches 33 (moreaccurately the line of contact), and the point if, the point ofengagement (more accurately the line of'engagement) of the ber 23 andbranch 33 (in the present instance the member or hood with the cover.This lever action in the present instance is illustrated in Fig. andwill be understood by considering the line a which is drawn through thepoint (1 parallel to the line c (the cam face I of the lug) as thelever,and the point I, where the line a, drawn through the point 1! of the,axis of the pintie perpendicular tovthe lines 0 and ef'crosses the linee as the fulcrum of the lever. The longer arm of the lever is theportion of the line e between the points I and d, and the shorter arm isthe portion between the point] and the point h which is the point wherethe line i, drawn through the point of contact between the mempdnt a).perpendicular to the lines e and e, crosses the'line e. By so locatingthe-various points, a lever is provided with the shorter arm above thefulcrum (above the axis of the pintle), and the spring means (branches35), in view thereof,

noduca a turning force uponfthe member 23,

tending to swing it about the fulcrum (axis of the force being decreasedas the shorter arm is decreased and being a negative quantity when thepoint it crosses the line 0. However as the final eifect of the springmeans upon the member 23 and cover i2 is due to the additive result ofthe lever feature and other features already described, and as thelocation of the various points mentioned in connection with the leverfeature is also an important factor as regards the other features, ithas been found in practice that the best results are obtained bylocating the point a approximately as shown in the drawings.

It has been found in practice thatin some instances there is a tendencyfor the free end of the branch 36 to follow a path directed toward itsadjacent branch 32 when the member 23 is being swung toward the coverand to eventually override the branch 32, or to come in contact with theroller 34 which causes a jamming of the parts and prevents the member 23from being closed. To prevent this and to insure the branch 33 followingits proper path, that is to say to insure its maintaining engagementwith the sides of the angular portion 33, the member 23 is formed with adepression 41 at its central portion between the angular portions 39 toprovide a guide 43 for each of the branches 35 disposed at the innerside thereof and directed in a slanting direction at the lower portionthereof upwardly toward its respective branch, thereby, if occasionrequires, guiding the free end of the branch 35 to insure its intendedengagement with the sides of its respective angular portion 33.

While, tofacilitate an understanding of the basic principles of theinvention and the functioning of the various parts, the presumed theorythereof has been described in conjunction with the showing made in Fig.10, it is to be understood that this may not be entirely correct in allparticulars and that it is not intended to limit the invenion thereby orto the exact locations of the various parts as shown and described. Theimportantnovelty, however, as at present understood, resides in thecombination of the various features which are united in so simple aconstruction to produce the spring action attained, the constructioncomprising merely four structural parts, namelya cover, spring means,spring means securing means, and a spring means energizing and retainingmember in combination with a box which may be, as shown, of a standardtype. Furthermore it will be understod that while in the preferredembodiment of the invention the several features described are allpresent to produce a resultant spring effect upon the cover,

nevertheless it is within the purview of the inven- 1. A Journal box lidcomprising a cover for the journal box; a member spring means disposedbetween said cover an said member for holding said cover upon said boxin spring-pressed engagement therewith, said spring means having aportion comprising two coils having a connection with said cover, and asecond portion comprising two branches extending upwardly, one from eachof said coils, adapted, at a part thereof remote from said connection,for engagement with said box, said member'having an articulation withsaid cover for swinging movement toward said cover from outward toinward position for energizing said spring means, said spring meanscomprising two other branches extending upwardly, one from each of saidcoils, each having the capacity for swinging movement about saidconnection toward said part adjacent thereto from outward spring meansdeenergized position to inward spring means energized position, and eachof said last mentioned two branches having a free end engaging saidmember, during said swinging movement of said member and said respectivefree ended branch, initially at said outward position and finally atsaid inward position of said member and said-respective free endedbranch; and a slanting guide for each of said free ended branches,carried by said member and disposed between the respective free endedbranch and the box-engageable branch adjacent thereto, adapted to insurea free path for the free end of said respective free ended branch duringsaid movement to inward position of said member and its said respectivefree ended branch.

2. In a journal box construction, a journal box having an opening; a lughavinga cam i'ace above said opening; a cover, spring-pressed upon saidbox over said opening and having pivotal connection with said lug; a"hood having pivotaiconnection with said lug, a lower end spring-pressedupon said cover, and a spring-engaging inner face above the axis of saidhood pivotakconnection and spaced outwardly therefrom; and a U-shapedspring having a loop portion secured to said cover.

an inner branch in spring-pressed engagement with said cam face, and anouter branch having an outer face in spring-pressed engagement with saidhood inner face, whereby said hood and cover are yieldingly held intheir closed positions, said hood and spring engaging faces beingdirected upwardly and outwardly to provide an upwardly diverging anglewith said lug cam face, whereby the pressure of said hood end upon saidcover is increased on movement of said hood end away from said cover,and the resistance to separation of said hood end from said cover isincreased due to the necessity of simultaneously further tensioning saidspring.

3. In a journal box construction, a journal box having an opening; a lughaving a cam face above said opening; a cover, spring-pressed upon saidbox over said opening and having pivotal connection with said iug; ahood having pivotal connection with said lug, a lower end spring-pressedupon said cover, and a spring-engaging inner face above the axis of saidhood pivotal connection and spaced outwardly therefrom; and a U- shapedspring having a loop portion secured to said cover, an inner branch inspring-pressed engagement with said cam face, and an outer branch havingan outer face inspring-pressed engagement with said hood inner face,whereby said hodd and cover are yieldingly held in their closedpositions, said hood and spring engaging faces being directed upwardlyand outwardly to provide an upwardly diverging angle with said lug camface, the respective inner and outer faces of said hood and springadjacent the ends of said engaging faces diverging from said ends,whereby the pressure of said hood end upon said cover is increased onmovement of said hood end away from said cover. and the resistance toseparation of said hood end from said cover is increased due to thenecessity of simultaneously further tensioning said spring.

. NELS E. FIDDIN.

THEODORE R. WEBER.

